The journey to find smiles for women who have been afraid to look in the mirror for many years

After many years of living with inferiority complex with twitching, distorted faces and the fear of not daring to look in the mirror, Ms. Le Thi Dung (Nghe An) and Ms. Ngo Thuy Lien ( Bac Ninh ) regained their natural smiles after microsurgery to separate blood vessels compressing the VII nerve at Vinmec Times City International General Hospital. After only 2 hours, they were completely freed from persistent seizures, to return to a confident and complete life.

Fearful of sleeping, covering half of face in shame

For the past two years, Ms. Le Thi Dung ( Nghe An ) has been living with constant insomnia because the left side of her face twitches constantly, making it difficult to eat and communicate. After visiting many places, she was diagnosed with eyelid twitching and was given botox injections. The condition only improved for a few months, then her face twitched again, even more violently.

“I was almost desperate,” said Ms. Dung.

By chance, Ms. Dung met a local person who had suffered from the same disease but was cured at Vinmec. She decided to travel 300km to Vinmec Times City International General Hospital to be examined and treated by neurosurgeons experienced in microvascular surgery to treat facial spasms.

“Here, the doctors clearly explained to me that my illness was facial spasm syndrome caused by the VII cranial nerve being compressed by a blood vessel, and that only by surgically separating the blood vessel from the nerve could I be completely cured. I believed and immediately agreed to the surgery,” Ms. Dung shared.

Also suffering from the same problem, Ms. Ngo Thuy Lien, (34 years old, Bac Ninh), had acupuncture and treatment for 2 years but could not find the real cause.

“Every time I talked, my face was crooked so I had to cover one side with my hand. I was so self-conscious that I didn’t dare meet anyone, I was even afraid to look in the mirror,” said Ms. Lien.

By chance, she saw a video sharing about facial spasm surgery at Vinmec Times City, so she decided to come for a check-up. Here, the doctors conducted a clinical examination combined with 3.0 Tesla MRI and neuromuscular electromyography to determine the exact cause. Accordingly, she also had a vascular conflict - cranial nerve VII.

Vascular separation surgery - the solution to restore smiles

According to Dr. Dong Pham Cuong, Director of the Neurosurgery Center, Vinmec Times City International General Hospital, the most common cause of hemifacial spasms is due to the VII cranial nerve being compressed by a blood vessel or a small tumor in the brain. This nerve controls the movement of the entire face, so when compressed, the patient will have uncontrollable spasms, and the condition will become increasingly severe.

“Methods such as botox injections, medication or acupuncture only have temporary effects, helping to reduce symptoms but do not eliminate the cause. Microsurgery to separate blood vessels compressing the VII nerve is a definitive treatment method, helping patients recover completely and avoid recurrence,” said Dr. Cuong.

The diagnosis and treatment process for Ms. Dung and Ms. Lien was carried out with close coordination between the departments of Neurology, Diagnostic Imaging and Neurosurgery.

The most difficult part of the surgery is to separate the compressed blood vessel from the VII nerve under a microscope with extreme precision, because this nerve is very sensitive. Even a small mistake can cause the patient to have facial paralysis after surgery.

Microsurgical separation of blood vessels compressing the VII cranial nerve

The entire surgery of Ms. Dung and Ms. Lien was performed in about 2 hours with the support of Pentero 900 surgical microscope and modern nerve monitoring system, helping to optimally control the position, avoiding damage to nearby blood vessels and nerves.

The team also placed electrodes to monitor nerve activity throughout the surgery. When the signals returned to normal, it was a sign that the surgery was successful.

Immediately after surgery, the facial spasms on Mrs. Dung and Ms. Lien completely disappeared.

“After waking up, I felt my face stop twitching, probably 90%. I felt like I was reborn,” Ms. Lien said emotionally.

Ms. Lien was moved with her normal face after surgery.

Mrs. Dung could not hold back her tears: “I touched my face and it felt normal, no more convulsions. At that moment, I could only cry because I was happy because I could finally sleep peacefully.”

At Vinmec Times City International General Hospital, thanks to a solid foundation of expertise, modern technology and a team of dedicated doctors - especially the application of high-tech microsurgery glasses and advanced neural navigation systems - hundreds of patients have been completely cured of facial spasm syndrome after many years of unsuccessful treatment elsewhere. But more than just curing the disease, Vinmec also gives hope and smiles to those who thought they would have to live their whole lives with facial disabilities and low self-esteem.

For consultation and examination, please contact to make an appointment through the Vinmec website here or download the MyVinmec application.

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/hanh-trinh-tim-lai-nu-cuoi-cho-nhung-phu-nu-nhieu-nam-so-soi-guong-post298289.html